


Believe In Change

by rainalin



Category: One Tree Hill
Genre: Angst, Drama, Half-Sibling Incest, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Spoilers: I Shall Believe, Spoilers: Suddenly Everything Has Changed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-03
Updated: 2005-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 11:28:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/584920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainalin/pseuds/rainalin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the pairing ended up slightly different and there was more to the reason why Lucas woke up when Nathan paid him a visit?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Believe In Change

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE1: I had no intention of writing for this fandom much less watching the series - however, Chad Michael Murray is way too cute and the way they pit the half-brothers against each other is way too slashy - so I caved. 
> 
> NOTE2: I think that Nathan and Lucas make a pretty cute couple and I decided to play with the idea. WB made it so much easier when they made him wake up after Nathan came by instead of when any of the girls were visiting. 
> 
> NOTE3: I'm also playing a game of cut and paste with the previous episodes. Whatever happened in the past, I’ve created my own version so don't expect this to be a play-by-play of the series. The whole juggling act with Payton and Brooke hasn't happened. Pretend with me. (lol)
> 
> SPOILER: Definite ones for I Shall Believe - if you don't know how Lucas woke up, don't read the story. Plus some of the ideas from Suddenly Everything Has Changed.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: All the characters belong to WB and whoever else. None of the pairings depicted actually happen on the show - of course, it could happen since they're switching couples around so much.

The beep of the heart monitor was the only sound that could be heard in the hospital room. Karen was sleeping in a chair in the corner when Nathan walked in. Making sure that she was asleep, he headed for the chair beside the bed. 

Sitting down, he looked at the motionless figure of his half-brother and sighed. Reaching out, he gently clasped the hand closest to him and began to speak. 

"I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here. I could pretend it was for Haley but she broke it off with me. I needed to clear the air, Lucas. And I need to apologize."

A quick glance around showed that everything was still the same and he began to ramble. 

"I didn't know what to do when I found out that you were my brother. Hell, I didn't know what to do when I realized that I was attracted to a guy. I was dating Payton at the time, you know, and I still found my attention being taken by you."

Nathan took a deep breath before continuing. 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for treating you like crap. I just couldn't deal with the fact that I was attracted to you and then finding out that you were my brother…. I couldn't handle that. I didn't want to handle that."

A sigh and he closed his eyes. 

"I tried to drown myself in Payton and when that didn't work out, I moved on to Haley. Don't get me wrong, she's a great girl but she's not you and this accident has made me very aware of that fact." 

The silence was once again filled with the sound of the heart monitor as Nathan ran his thumb gently over the hand that he held. Finally, he tenderly clasped Lucas' hand in his before getting up and, keeping hold of his hand, leaned over the still form of his brother. With his free hand, he caressed Lucas' cheek.

"I don't know if you can hear me but I want you to know that I love you."

Dropping a gentle kiss on slightly parted lips, he straightened up. 

"Wake up soon, Lucas."

With a last squeeze, he made to let go of the hand that he held but was stopped by the movement of said hand in his and he raised startled eyes to see Lucas staring back at him. 

"w..tr."

Hearing what Lucas couldn't quite say, Nathan reached over and grabbed the glass of water sitting on the bed-side table. Carefully holding it in his right hand, he gently slid his left hand under Lucas' neck and helped him get his head up enough to take a drink. 

Once he was sure that Lucas had had enough to drink, he set the glass down and lowered his head back down unto the pillow. Looking down into pained but aware blue eyes, he almost forgot what had happened. Lucas' next words brought him back to the present rather abruptly. 

"what're you doing here?"

A short laugh, and Nathan turned away with the bittersweet realization that Lucas hadn't heard him. 

"I'll wake your mom."

Stepping away from the bed, he almost didn't hear Lucas call his name. 

"nathan."

Stopping in his tracks, he looked back and his hazel eyes clashed with Lucas' blue. The awareness that he'd observed in those eyes was still there and, suddenly, Nathan was aware of what exactly that meant. 

"Oh, God. You heard me."

The fear and disbelief in his voice roused Lucas and he attempted to sit up. At his wince, Nathan was by his side and gently helping him sit up. Once he was sure that Lucas was alright, Nathan made to move away but was stopped by the hand gripping his jacket. 

Staring down at the hand that held unto him, Nathan refused to meet Lucas' eyes. 

"thank you."

The voice was still rusty but the emotion contained was more than enough to make up for its sound and Nathan looked up warily. 

"For what?"

Lucas smiled slightly. 

"For coming to see me. For apologizing. For telling me what you felt. "

Nathan glanced worriedly over at the still sleeping Karen and then took a deep breath. 

"I know that it doesn't explain or excuse anything but I needed you to know. I don't expect you to change or anything."

An insistent tug on his jacket brought his attention back to Lucas who was frowning up at him. 

"Of course it means something. We're brothers, I need to know what you feel…."

A shudder stopped Lucas' words and he watched worriedly as Nathan seemed to gather himself. Gentle fingers were suddenly removing his hand from the red jacket and Nathan was laying it down. Lucas' worried eyes watched as Nathan froze for a split second before leaning over him. 

Staring directly into his blue eyes, Nathan tenderly but unmistakably kissed Lucas on the lips. Keeping his eyes on the stunned ones of his brother, Nathan stepped away from the bed. 

"I don't love you as a brother."

Before Lucas could gather his thoughts together, Nathan had gone to Karen and woken her. Splitting his attention between his mother and his brother, Lucas watched helplessly as Nathan walked out of the hospital room. 

********************

Several days after he got out of the hospital, Lucas and Haley were hanging out in his room when he decided to broach the subject that had been bothering him. 

"What happened between you and Nathan?"

Haley looked over at him in surprise. 

"We broke up."

When she made to leave it at that, Lucas gestured for her to continue and so she did. 

"Right before I heard about your accident. We were talking and he told me that he'd gotten together with me in order to get to you."

Lucas' heart leapt at that but then was crushed by Haley's next words. 

"I couldn't deal with the thought that he'd been using me to hurt you and so I broke it off. He tried to apologize but…."

Lucas looked down at the sling that held his right arm and found himself wondering whether the kiss he'd gotten from Nathan was all part of some hallucination he'd experienced. 

"Luc?"

Looking over at his best friend, he wondered what was making her so uncertain. 

"Haley?"

Laughing a little, she bit her lip before speaking. 

"Karen told me that Nathan was there when you woke up. Do you know why he was there?"

Haley's hesitant question was enough to convince him that it hadn't been a hallucination but he wasn't sure how to answer her. Staring at the girl who'd been his best friend though the ups and downs of his life, he finally made a decision. 

Sitting up in bed, he patted the spot beside him and waited for her to join him. Smiling at her expectant look, Lucas gazed at the door leading into the rest of the house and tried to figure out how to frame his words. 

"Nathan's in love with me."

Lucas decided that he really needed to work on framing but looked over at Haley to see what her reaction was. A shocked expression had frozen on her face and then she furrowed her brow in consideration. 

"That makes sense."

At her words, Lucas sat up slightly in disbelief. 

"You knew?!"

"No! But the way he acted around you has always been kinda weird. It didn't make any sense for him to be jealous of you since he had the dad."

"Huh." 

Lucas had to agree with Haley's opinion on the matter but was still stuck with how easily she'd accepted the idea. 

"Haley? Are you actually sure you understand what this means?"

Turning, she frowned at him. 

"Yes, Lucas. I am aware of what this means."

A quick quirk of his lips and she glared at him. 

"Fine!"

Settling back, she summarized the whole conversation. 

"Nathan is in love with you. He used your best friend, namely me, to try and get close to you."

She stopped speaking for a bit and then sighed. 

"You're right, Luc. It is kinda hard to get. He's your brother!"

"Half-brother."

Lucas corrected reflexively and then laughed. 

"Not like that really makes any difference though. He's a guy."

Haley frowned. 

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Guys can't get pregnant so the whole argument against incest doesn't really mean anything."

She frowned again. 

"Does that mean that you're interested in him, Luc?"

Startled, he stared at her speechless. 

Haley stared back at him and waited for him to gather his thoughts. Finally, Lucas leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder. 

"I don't know."

The answer was whisper quiet and held all his confusion and frustration.

"At first, I didn't want to like Nathan. But when he started going out with you, I saw another side to him and then…. At the hospital, he was honest and spoke from the heart. I felt the feelings he has for me and…I liked it."

Haley smiled down at the blond head resting on her shoulder and hugged him one-armed. 

"Well, Luc, if you feel that way, why don't you see where it can lead you?"

Lucas looked up at her worriedly. 

"What about Dan? And my mom. They'll freak. Then there's the whole school to think about and…."

Haley slapped a hand over his mouth and glared at him. 

"Lucas. You did not escape a car accident with your life only to waste your time on what ifs and useless worries. Besides, you guys might not even be compatible. You just need to take a chance and see where it leads you."

He sighed before nodding. Deciding that now was as good a time as any, Lucas sat up and, with Haley's help, got out of the house without arousing Karen's suspicions. Heading over to her place, Lucas laid down to wait for Nathan to show up. 

Slipping into a doze, he was resting quietly when Nathan arrived expecting to see Haley. 

*********************

Nathan walked into the bedroom and wondered why Haley had wanted him to wait for her there. When he walked in and saw Lucas on the bed, he realized that he'd been set up and turned to leave. 

"Wait!"

Hearing his brother's voice, Nathan stopped with his hand on the doorknob and waited. 

"I wanted to talk to you."

Without turning around, Nathan closed his eyes. 

"I figured as much. Look, I'm sorry about what I said, ok? I won't do anything to you and I'll even stay away from Haley. You can go back to hating me and I'll never mention this again."

Silence fell and, taking that as confirmation, Nathan turned the doorknob. At the sound, Lucas struggled to sit up. 

A cry of pain caused Nathan to turn and he took in the sweat gleaming on Lucas' forehead. Worried, he went to the bed-side and helped Lucas settle back into a comfortable position. 

With Lucas holding his hand in a death-grip, Nathan decided that leaving was going to be a little difficult and resigned himself to waiting for Lucas to explain the reason for their meeting. A sudden thought hit him and he stiffened. Curious blue eyes looked up at him as Nathan stared at Lucas.

"Does Haley know?"

A hesitant nod and Nathan felt as if his whole world were being destroyed. Staring at Lucas, he felt betrayed. Something of what he felt must of shown on his face because Lucas pulled him closer. Warm breath tickled Nathan's lips as Lucas spoke. 

"I couldn't keep it from her - she's my best friend. Besides, you should be thanking her. She convinced me to give this a try."

Nathan struggled to understand what Lucas was saying but was having difficulties because of how close their bodies and, especially their lips, were. Seeming to realize what the problem was, Lucas smiled. 

"I don't know exactly how I feel about you, Nathan. But I've never thought of you as my brother. Let's just see where this leads, ok?"

It was more than Nathan could have expected and less than he'd dreamed of, but he wasn't complaining. 

"Yeah."

Wondering at how husky his voice sounded, Nathan watched mesmerized as Lucas licked his lips. Unable to handle the temptation any longer, he leaned in. 

Their third kiss was better than their first two because this time, Lucas was aware and participating. What started out as a gentle meeting of lips became a full fledged, passionate kiss and by the time Nathan drew back, Lucas was trembling from more than the slight fever that ravaged his body. 

Worried, Nathan smoothed back his hair from his forehead and winced. 

"You've got a fever, man. We need to get you home."

Moving to get up and find Haley, he was stopped by Lucas. 

"I know what I'm doing."

Fever bright eyes stared up at him and pleaded with him to believe. 

"I wanted this kiss. And when I'm better, I'll want more. Believe me."

Nathan smiled. 

"Yeah. I believe you."

**********************

After a quick visit to the emergency room and a reassuring talk with his mother, Lucas found himself back in his room. Rubbing a finger over his lips, he wondered at the feelings that the touch of Nathan's lips were able to bring to him. Lost in a day-dream, he almost missed the sound of the knock on his door. 

Getting up, he opened the door to the find his best friend and his…boyfriend? standing together. 

"Hey. What's up?"

Inviting them in, Lucas watched as Haley made herself comfortable on the only chair in his room while Nathan sat on the edge of his bed uncomfortably. Smiling slightly, Lucas settled back on his bed and waited for them to begin talking. 

"We have a proposition for you."

Turning to look at Haley, Lucas winced as the movement shifted his arm. Nathan looked up from his contemplation of the bed-spread and moved up and beside Lucas at the sound. With gentle movements, he drew Lucas into his arms and pillowed his arm, allowing him to see Haley without further aggravating his injury. 

Smiling up at Nathan in thanks, Lucas focused his attention back on Haley who had been watching them with a soft smile. 

"You guys are so sweet. I feel lucky just getting to see you two together."

Teasing and yet serious, that was what he liked about her. 

"Get on with it, girl."

Lucas mock-growled at her and laughed quietly as she saluted him cheekily. 

"So, I pretend to be dating Nathan and we hang out as a trio of friends. That way you two can be together without too many people wondering why and, later on, you can be together without people wondering where I am."

Haley smiled at the two of them as she bounced excitedly in the chair. 

"Whacha think? Do you think it'll work?"

Exchanging pleased smiles, Nathan and Lucas both nodded at her. 

"Yeah, I think it will work, Haley."

Lucas was happy with the plan and even more happy with his position in Nathan's embrace. For his part, Nathan was a little leery. 

"What's in it for you, Haley?"

An innocent expression lit her face and she sat primly in the chair. 

"Whatever do you mean?"

Her voice shook with laughter even as she tried to talk as if she was a high-society lady and Nathan couldn't help but laugh. 

Lucas smiled at her but then quirked an eyebrow. 

Haley caved. 

"Ok, so I want a little something from you guys. I promise it isn't a lot. It won't even hurt you."

Sighing, Lucas melted into Nathan's embrace and rolled his eyes.

"Just tell us already."

"Right. I want you guys to be my study buddies. And I wanna see you guys kiss."

At the first request, they'd both groaned but the second request had their jaws dropping in surprise. 

Nathan recovered first. 

"Why would you want to see us kiss?"

Haley smiled mischievously. 

"I want to see how you guys look when you kiss. Cause, you guys are pretty and together I betcha you're pretty hot."

Shock seemed to have frozen Lucas' vocal cords and he found himself blinking in disbelief. His best friend was acting…well, like he would've if their positions were reversed. The sudden laughter startled Nathan and Haley and they watched worriedly as Lucas laughed. 

Once he was done, he winked at Haley before turning his head sideways. Reaching out with his left hand, he guided Nathan's head to the perfect angle before meshing their lips together in a deep and passionate kiss. 

When they separated, Haley was staring at them with glazed eyes. Smirking slightly, Lucas licked his lips provocatively and watched as her eyes followed his tongue. 

"Did you like it, Haley?"

The innocent question shook her out of her haze and she blinked a couple of times before straightening in the chair. 

"Oh. My. God. That was so hot."

Nathan ducked his head embarrassed while Lucas just laughed. Haley began to wax poetic on the absolute beauty of their kiss and soon the sound of their laugher echoed in the room. 

Laying in his boyfriend's embrace, listening to his best friend tease them about their relationship, Lucas was struck with the irony of the situation. The car accident that could have cost him his life and career as a basketball player had given him something he wasn't aware of wanting - a lover.


End file.
